Libraries Features Within Childhood And Family Life

‘Literacy and communication skills are vital in society today and early introduction to literacy though a breadth of experiences of rhymes, stories, pictures and books supports these skills.’ (Rankin and Brock, 2015, p1). Rankin and Brock cite that ‘Start with the Child’ (CILIP, 2002) recognised that reading is a central part of the child’s development. Reading inspires their imagination, this enables them to grow emotionally, and develop their understanding of the world and where they stand in the local and global community. Libraries can be influential in the early stages of a child’s life because they bring books and children together, they provide a space where children can experiment and learn. Within this assignment I analyse the†¦show more content†¦It is seen as a facilitating environment; libraries are designed to provide a safe environment in which the children can learn. International research shows that children’s development is influenced by nature and nurture (genes and environment). This research shows that the first five years of life are the most significant for brain development, while the most rapid growth is within the first three years, the experiences that children have at this young age shapes the architecture for their brains (Mustard, 2006; cited by Barratt-Pugh and Allen). Rankin and Brock cited that ‘the children’s library has a key partnership role to play in developing skills, by providing access to resources and services for children and their families’ (Blandshard, 1997; Fasick and Holt, 2008), the acronym ‘SPICE’ clearly represents early childhood developmental needs, this includes; Social, Physical, Intellectual, Creative and Emotional (Harding, 2015). Libraries are well nurtured to support development at such a significant age; libraries enable the child to develop through a range of activities. Libraries often employ professional young people s librarians who advise visitors on book types at various development stages. To ensure libraries support the early years of children’s development, many run schemes to encourage pre-school and school age children to love libraries. This includes scheme such as Book Start Bear Club